“Sex and Poop”: a Valentine’s libido class

FREAKING elated. Yup. That’s what I was during a class I attended at Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco. This class drew me in with the saucy subject; Libido and Sexual Health. “Poop,” as you may have noticed in the title of this post, is a bold way of referring to digestion. I will expound more on this topic in following posts! The main topics of the class were as follows:

Which foods boost and which foods squash your sex drive

The connection between your mind, heart and libido

Understanding the role of hormones

The role of stress and mood on your sex life

Herbs that support libido and sexual well being

The three presenters, Sara Reed, Marisol Kim, and Sara Jane Gorman delivered such intriguing and useful information that I was literally on the edge of my seat, while attempting to take notes at lightning speed.

What was the main thing I learned?!

My husband Joe and I practice an insanely “libido nourishing diet!” We were, in fact, aware of this prior to the class, however-we were unaware of the magnitude of nourishment. I must confess, one thing that makes me incredibly happy is a plate of bright, colorful food before me. Thus, I have uploaded a plethora of photos to my Instagram account, of the many creations that come out of my kitchen (and orders from outstanding restaurants from around the globe). A good friend of mine, Meghan Leigh; find her on IG: Mind_body_and_booty, commented on a photo with a billion hash-tags I used in the caption. What she commented on was the sexual innuendo of the hash tags. Her observation was certainly accurate.

This is not to say that I am some sort of crazed nymphomaniac; check out last week’s post: Seduction as a Spiritual Practice to shed more light on this concept. However, I don’t feel a lack of balance in this area. Joe and I both feel vibrant, physically fit, healthy and strong 99.9% of the time. I DO remember a time in my life that wasn’t quite the same. I am grateful to have cultivated this level of health, as there was a time, not long ago when I was essentially poisoning myself with things like birth control, caffeine and sugar. Now that I’ve nearly eliminated these things the difference is extremely clear. That being said, let’s focus on one piece of the class. LIBIDO!

Imagine this. A blender. What if you removed the blender’s motor? What if you removed the switch to turn it on? The plug? What if you used the blender without the blade? I don’t know if your green smoothie would turn out quite the same with a component missing. The metaphor here is, the way our bodies function. This word, “holistic,” was an extremely important underlying theme that I took from the libido class. All the parts of our bodies function as a whole.

When your body is properly nourished and you’re in optimal health, more often than not-this results in a robust libido. The inter-working of the mind and psychology play a big role in libido also, but the libido will most certainly be weakened with poor diet.

What is it you ask that boosts libido? What are the magical foods that Joe and I eat that have us feeling balanced and bursting with vitality every day?! Let me give you the short answer first-a heavily plant based, organic diet; BUT first, let’s run through the things we may put in our mouths that kill libido and weaken the entire body:

Here’s the deal with this list! I did not list these foods as “aphrodisiac foods.” The important distinguishing factor is that these foods are full of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to thrive. Many of the foods on the list increase circulation and are antioxidant rich. They are not magic pills, that kick a few minutes after consumption-they are nourishment to be consumed on a consistent basis to experience desired results : )

Our happy Indian wedding. We had LOTS of turmeric…

What do you think about having at least one of these items in every meal? I do! It’s easy breezy! You can start here: go to the store and pick up a bag of raw pumpkin seeds. I’m in love with this brand. How simple is it to grab an orange before you head out for the day? What three items are you committed to adding to your meals this week? Share in the comments below! I would be so grateful to hear from you and know what caught your attention. Are you someone who feels like you’ve already got a healthy balance in this arena? Perfect! Tell us what you eat!

Thanks for reading and I wish you a day, week…LIFE full of optimal vitality!!